


The Worst Possible Timeline

by TheRisu



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Drabble Sequence, Future Fic, Gen, Next-Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-09-28 00:23:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20416807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRisu/pseuds/TheRisu
Summary: 'The Frycook What Came from All That Space' ends differently, Zim doesn't get to escape in time and gets stuck in The Great Foodening, but that doesn't stop him from retrying as soon as it's over. And he succeeds, but eventually discovers that thanks to the unpredictable time warp thing, the Foodening lasted more instead of less. He's been gone for many Earth years and current Earth is suddenly terrible. Well, more terrible than it already was.





	1. The Night of The Reckoning or Something Like That

**Author's Note:**

> Just like my Flapjack work, this is essentially a remake of an older Invader Zim fic I wrote almost a decade ago, which was pretty bad. 
> 
> After rewatching the original series in anticipation of 'Enter the Florpus', I decided to write this thing to end a chapter with myself. It has no relation to the first fic, other than my cherished what-ifs and next gen themes. It's mostly based on the original series (namely one certain unaired episode) but there's at least one thing that was influenced by the movie. Technically unfinished, since it's meant to be some kind of pilot.
> 
> It's probably still bad but, just like I said with my Flapjack work, hopefully in a funny way.
> 
> EDIT: I don't know why but there are some annoying extra spaces scattered about that were NOT in the original documents so I guess it's some AO3 thing. I tried to edit them all out but I'm too tired. I hate them. Please ignore them.

It was a horrible night.

A night filled with dirty clouds and haze. A night teeming with some foreboding air that reeked of imminent damnation and stale ham.

The night of the reckoning, or something like that.

It all started with a small figure, and its stealthy approach towards a humongous apartment block.

Several humongous apartment blocks, in fact. They had mercilessly devoured the poor, modest suburb that used to be in that area.

It had vanished without a single trace.

Or so thought most people, because a sudden series of beeping noises seemed to differ.

“AH!” yelped this little guy, his eyes widening behind the sunglasses he was wearing “There it is… There it is!”

And something else appeared to move under the baseball cap he was also wearing, perhaps in a perking up way.

The beeping continued, coming from a device he was holding. A tiny screen, displaying some kind of tracking process.

“The signs are minimal, but it’s definitely here…” he said.

To no one in particular, since he was merely thinking out loud, believing to be alone.

“_What’s _ here?”

But he actually wasn’t.

“AH!!” he yelped, once again, and then turned.

There was a little girl behind him. A little girl that was almost as little as him.

“I… uh…” he babbled, as she promptly scanned both his bizarre baseball cap and sunglasses combination and his tracking device with a dangerously intrigued expression.

His greenish skin was fine, though. Some people have greenish skin and there’s nothing wrong with that.

“Who are you and what are you doing out here so late?” she asked.

The guy frowned slightly and rushed to shove the device into a pocket.

“I… am…” he began, then pausing to clear his throat and stare at the ground “…looking for my… bees…”

The girl also frowned, but more confusedly.

“Bees?”

“Yes. My bees. I lost them.”

And then he proceeded to scoot away, at least until bumping into a glaring realization that made him stop and turn back to the girl.

Or rather a wall, but it still helped him come to a glaring realization that made him stop and turn back to the girl.

“…What are _ you _ doing out here so late anyway?”

The girl looked wary for a second, but then also stared at the ground.

“That’s a secret, I can’t tell.”

And that must have sounded amazingly suspenseful in her head and only in her head, because the guy just blinked apathetically in response and resumed his quick retreat.

“But if you _ really _ want to know…” she added, dashing after him “I’m working on a skool project. We’re supposed to investigate something ‘worth wasting resources over’ and… There was this story I saw about a house- Have you ever heard of the _ Gnome House _?”

It was then that the guy noticed, as soon as she got close enough, that she was carrying her own tracking device.

“Gnome House…?”

“Yeah. It was one of the houses that got wrecked to build these blocks. It’s called that because… well, it had _ a lot _ of gnomes in its front yard.”

The guy squinted. Gnomes…?

“A family of four used to live in it.” continued the girl, somewhat dramatically “A boy, his parents and his dog… until _ one day _, when they all disappeared.”

What _ were _ gnomes…?

“The house stood there, empty, for like thirty years or so, and nobody could ever figure out what happened. Then it got steamrolled and most people just left it behind, but…”

It was right on the tip of his tongue. Definitely something related to yards.

“I thought that maybe I could investigate about that, you know? Because, like… unsolved mysteries _ are _ worth wasting resources over, right? So I looked into it…”

Perhaps some sort of security system.

“…and the only thing I found was that, apparently, someone saw some kind of… _ flying saucer _coming out of the house once.”

The word _ did _ sound intimidating.

“I mean…” muttered the girl, to then suddenly let out an awkward chuckle “A flying saucer! Can you believe that? Yeah, I couldn’t either!”

But anyway, the word _ did _ sound _ certainly _intimidating.

“But then I thought, okay, it’s the only clue I have so I guess I’ll have to roll with it. So I came here to keep investigating and… and…”

_ Gnome _ . _ Gnoooooome _. Yes. Quite intimidating indeed.

“And I’m pretty sure I’m catching a cold so maybe I should just-”

Then the thrilling one-sided discussion was abruptly interrupted by _ really _ loud beeping noises, which weren’t coming from the guy’s device, but rather the girl’s.

Upon finally tuning back in, the guy turned just in time to spot the interesting pop-up message she was now getting on her screen.

And the utterly shocked face she was now pulling while spotting it herself. 

“H… Huh? _ Huh!? _”

“What?” inquired the guy “What is it?”

The girl looked back at him, the shocked face becoming more and more shocked, her eyeballs almost jumping out of their sockets.

“I have to go.”

And then she effectively left at an impressive speed, running away and into the night like a rabid ninja.

The guy just watched, perplexedly at first but then frowning again.

And then he also left at an impressive speed, running away and into the night like a rabid chicken.

Still spooked by that message, by those two ominous words.

_ Signature detected. _


	2. Moldy Wrappers and Rotting Forgotten Tacos

“_Master ZIM! _” screeched our baseball cap and sunglasses wearing individual while brutally kicking open a door, hands full of shopping bags.

Then he entered this dim, musty apartment and scooted over towards a particularly nasty couch.

And _ he _ was indeed sitting there.

The one and only Invader Zim, in all his revolting glory.

But had he always been _ this _ revolting? Had he always been sitting on that couch, watching television and, most importantly, living in such horrible apartment?

“Master Zim…” repeated this newcomer, less screechingly but still very annoyingly, to then put the bags aside and remove both the baseball cap and the sunglasses and what do you know! He was an alien!

And not just any alien, but another Irken. A teeny weeny Irken who definitely talked too seriously for his size.

“Master Zim!” he repeated, yet again, and that seemed to be enough for the exhausted veteran to react with a ridiculously long groan.

“_Speck _ …” he replied, in an irritatedly slurred manner as he turned away from the blinding screen to look at this shameful runt “Have you brought the _ supplies _?”

The shameful runt straightened up and saluted. And his name was indeed Speck.

“Successfully!” he declared, then picking the bags back up and handing them over “You were not exaggerating when describing Earth’s fatal environment…”

“I was not.” stated Zim, less slurredly but still very irritatedly as he reached out and received said supplies.

“But I have managed!” continued Speck, striking some sort of victory pose “I have obtained every item of the list! Ice cream, candy, potato chips…”

“Did you bring my _ taquitos _?” asked a third voice.

It was Zim’s mighty robot, GIR.

Who, unlike his master, was looking as good as ever. And had been sitting next to him the whole time.

“_TAQUITOOOOOS! _” he cheered, as Zim effectively pulled them out of one of the bags and gave them to him, to then take an ice cream bucket for himself.

“As I was saying, _ every item _ of the list…” continued Speck, smiling a little at the somewhat endearing joy with which GIR was embracing his beloved food, but then getting rather disturbed at his sickeningly loud and messy way of consuming it.

“Yes, yes, excellent work or whatever.” replied Zim, after a spoonful of ice cream “Now go back to your station.”

“Um, actually!” _ continued Speck _ “Actually, Master Zim, there’s something else I must communicate! Something very, very, very, very, very, very, very, _ very _ important!”

“What?” asked Zim, turning back to the television and thus not too keen on knowing.

And then suddenly frowning.

_ “Soooooooo, Professor Membrane!” _ said an interviewer on the screen _ “Is it true that you and your father’s next project will involve caffeinated bloodstreams?” _

_ “Isn’t it confusing to call both of us ‘Professor’?” _replied the interviewee, a man who certainly didn’t look like the Professor Membrane Zim remembered.

Although he _ did _resemble him to some degree, but not as much as he resembled another familiar face. Or rather, another familiar head.

“Well…” proceeded Speck, even despite the emerging distraction “I know you didn’t precisely instruct me to examine the area where your original base was and check for potentially useful leftovers, but I figured it would be a good idea to… well, do it! And I…”

_ “Sooooooooooooooo…” _ continued the interviewer _ “Should we just call you by your name then? Would that be less confusing?” _

_ “I think so!” _ chuckled that disgusting Earth worm, that disgusting head who wouldn’t stop smiling for some reason and making Zim writhe in resentful scorn _ “But anyway, yes! It’s been our biggest dream for a while, so hopefully we’ll get it done for the next show.” _

_ “WONDERFUL!” _ exclaimed the interviewer _ “I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that we’ll be looking forward to it, DIB!” _

“There it is again…” growled Zim, then suddenly raising his voice “Look at it! Look at it, GIR! Look at how hideous… how _ insolently tall _ he is! What is this!? _ WHAT IS THIS!? _”

“Can we watch the Scary Monkey now?” asked GIR, as his master kept gritting his teeth and taking increasingly furious spoonfuls of ice cream.

Speck had fallen silent to just stare at them, and was now sighing heavily and attempting to sit with them.

“I don’t understand, Master Zim.” he said “Back when we carried out that _amazing_ escape from Foodcourtia, you just _couldn’t wait_ to return to Earth… You were so ecstatic! So eager! You had so many plans and I was so ready to assist your formidable self! _So ready!_ You inspired me, Master Zim! You taught me that I can do whatever I want, _be _whatever I want, regardless of what my encoding says! And I thought… I thought we’d do lots of other amazing things together! But then…”

“Can we watch the Scary Monkey now?” asked GIR.

Zim just squinted, upon actually hearing some of that.

Speck seriously wasn’t aware of the fact that he was, in fact, intending to ditch him during said escape, was he? Speck seriously wouldn’t realize that Zim had _ intentionally _ tried and failed to evade him, would he?

“Then you just started yelling at this screen every day and the only significant mission you gave me so far was going for snacks and I’m not complaining but…”

“He’s sad because Dib doesn’t come over anymore.” intervened GIR, somewhat casually.

Speck blinked.

“_Dib… _” he muttered, glancing at the screen and pointing accordingly “You mean that human?”

“They were best friends! Like hot dogs!” said GIR, then scarfing down a hot dog.

Speck blinked again.

“So…” he replied “We’re getting sidetracked just because of _ one _ human? And what’s the problem anyway? What’s a… _ friend _?”

“Can we watch the Scary Monkey now?” asked GIR.

_ “Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” _ said the interviewer _ “Thirty years since your rehabilitation! How does that feel?” _

_ “Great!” _ grinned Dib, a little unnaturally _ “I’ve never been so happy!” _

“You LIE! _ YOU LIE! FILTHY LIEEEEES! _ ” hollered, obviously, Zim while taking yet another spoonful of ice cream “ _ Why _ is he doing _ that _ , GIR!? _ WHY _ is he _ IGNORING ZIM!? _”

“Can we watch the Scary Monkey now?” asked GIR.

And Speck just stared again.

To then quietly go back to his station, also known as a nearby trash can.

It smelt like death and not even his pint-sized body could properly fit in it, but who was he to question Master Zim?

Even after the incident he had just witnessed, Speck would remain loyal to his idol’s cause, to his idol’s crusade. Because he was probably just as defective, if not even more.

“There’s no use in persisting, he won’t listen…” he muttered, struggling to settle among the many moldy wrappers and rotting forgotten tacos “That human… It must be really _ powerful _…”

“_WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ZIM!? _” continued Zim in the background, his enraged tone beginning to take a more devastated turn.

Speck’s antennae perked up. Was he _ really _ sad…?

“This can’t keep going.” he said, frowning decidedly and taking that one tracking device from that one pocket to look at it “If my findings are as substantial as it seems and the underground section of the base is indeed still intact… then I could access and use it somehow. It would have been better if Master Zim himself did it, but… his morale is clearly getting compromised. That human must be destroyed, and that other human, _that other human_! The one I encountered… It must be destroyed too. It appears to know too much.”

Then the frown intensified as he looked into some random direction in the distance.

“I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.” he concluded.

Then shrank and shuddered.

“I just hope it’s not too hard!” he added.

“Can we watch the Scary Monkey now?” asked GIR.


	3. The Flying Saucer One

Even after the good couple of minutes it took to get back home, this young child’s face was still stuck in that unnerving expression of startled eyeballs.

Even after entering the safety of her towering, overly futuristic dwelling. Even after overcoming that one absurdly long hallway and its countless pictures of an undeniably happy man, his elderly father and their many achievements of the past thirty years.

She couldn’t shake it off, she just couldn’t shake it off. She could only accelerate her frantic walk towards the kitchen.

“I’m back!” she announced, upon finally arriving.

A morose woman had been waiting for her, and was now retrieving an entire pizza from some sort of futuristic microwave.

“_Luna._” she said, while glaring at her from over her shoulder “You took so long I had to reheat dinner.”

“Oh hey!” yelped the little girl, shuddering “Hey, auntie!”

And her name was indeed Luna.

“I hope you understand that I _ won’t _ let it happen again.” added Gaz, now setting the table and sitting down.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry…” replied Luna, sitting along and then promptly recoiling at a particular detail on the pizza “…Are those sausage bits?”

Gaz nodded in response, since she was already chewing a slice.

“I can’t eat pork, auntie.” continued Luna, looking away “Eight out of ten pork products are cursed by vengeful pig spirits, and I don’t want to get possessed.”

Gaz swallowed with a raised eyebrow.

“Pigs aren’t vengeful.” she stated “It’s a myth.”

And Luna almost fell for it, but ultimately decided to not take any risks and simply remove the sausage bits from her slices with a napkin.

“Anyway…” she said, after idly picking and biting into the first one “Auntie, I think I _ uncovered _ something today…”

“_Really? _” intervened a sudden third voice, making her blink in surprise.

“Oh yeah.” said Gaz, nonchalantly reaching for another slice “Your father’s here. Almost.”

“Almost?” inquired Luna, then blinking again at this incoming silhouette.

“Good evening!” greeted a transparent and staticky Dib “Bet you didn’t expect _ this _, huh?”

“I did.” said Gaz, already going for yet another slice as Luna just smiled happily.

“Hey, dad!” she replied, while _ still _ eating the first slice “How’s the… uh, caffeine blood thing going?”

“Getting somewhere! We’re dealing with some side effects, but…” began the questionable father, to then cough suspiciously and sit with them “Now tell me about this uncovering.”

He seemed to be able to move around somehow, despite being a holographic projection.

“It’s so _ exciting _!” squeaked Luna, leaning forward “Remember the Gnome House?”

Gaz cast a cautious glance at her.

“Gnome…” mumbled Dib, to then shift into a more serious demeanor “The flying saucer one?”

“Yes, the flying saucer one. And _ yes _ , I know that sounds dumb, but…” replied Luna, also shifting into a more serious demeanor “I wanted to make _ completely _ sure that was a hoax, just in case, so I downloaded this app where people can submit biosignatures of _ actual aliens _-”

“How do they even get them?” asked Gaz, in a _ slightly _invested manner.

“Close encounters.” answered her niece, then pulling out her tracking device from a backpack she had been carrying “But anyway, I downloaded it and then installed it into this console and went to where the house was…”

“All by yourself!?” exclaimed Dib, looking at said device as Luna held it out “And this…”

The ‘signature detected’ message was still flickering on its screen.

“It’s a match.” affirmed Luna “An alien from this database _ was there _.”

Dib gasped hilariously. Gaz grabbed yet another slice.

“The Gnome House family was _ abducted _.” concluded Luna, with a thrilled smile.

Or rather an _ adorable _ smile, at least from her father’s perspective.

“Well, that’s impressive!” he said, nodding convincedly “Very impressive! Right, Gaz?”

Gaz also nodded, but because she was chewing again.

“Good job, Luna.” continued Dib, proceeding to pat his daughter on the head “I’d love to hear more but my break’s almost over and the rest of our test subjects aren’t going to caffeinate themselves… That would be great, but they just won’t. Listen to your aunt and go to sleep early, okay? We can keep playing tomorrow.”

Luna’s smile had been gradually fading, and now it was positively gone.

“…Yes, dad.”

“Just get out of here already.” sentenced Gaz, and the hologram immediately vanished as if on cue, with a parting ‘See you soon!’ from a definitely questionable father.

A miserable silence followed.

“I should have known…” muttered Luna, after a minute or two.

Gaz finished the last slice and quietly stood up.

“You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.” she said, as her niece coincidentally pulled a little laptop from her backpack.

“Factual evidence!” she exclaimed, turning it on and grabbing the tracking console to then connect them with a cord “Scientists just _ can’t _ live without it!”

“He’s just an idiot. A very damaged idiot.” added Gaz, as her niece opened a window and typed aggressively.

“I’ll check this alien’s file, see if there’s anything…” she began, to then process her aunt’s words and look at her “…_Damaged? _”

“Gnome House, wasn’t it?” continued Gaz, crossing her arms “That used to be Zim’s house. He’s still coping with it.”

Luna blinked.

“Zim…?” she inquired, then looking back at the laptop “You mean-”

But before the ‘the boy who got abducted’ could come, she found herself unconvering something else, something even _ bigger _, while skimming through the file.

“_Hold on a second! _”

Gaz leaned in.

“The Irken Empire, by Agent Mothman…” continued Luna, reading out loud “Expansionist force, galactic conquest… _ Advanced beaver technology! _ Signature extracted from Invader _Zim_!”

Then she scrolled down and kept going.

“Invader Zim disguised himself as a regular human boy with the aid of fake robotic parents and a fake robotic dog… Oh my _ stars _ , they weren’t taken away by aliens! They _ were _ the aliens!”

“What a turn of events.” said Gaz, naturally dryly.

“But then… What happened to them?” wondered Luna, scrolling further down “August 19… Zim was snatched up into space by another, unidentified alien… Hasn’t reappeared since… The robots could have been deactivated, base abandoned…”

Then she squinted.

“Huh… That’s weird…” she figured, then finally looking back at her aunt “And dad… Did dad know him? This… alien invader? Did he know he was an alien?”

More silence followed.

Gaz stared at her niece for a moment, and then quietly turned away.

“Auntie…?”

“I already said too much.” she replied, exiting the kitchen “We promised we wouldn’t dig _ that _ up. Ever again.”

To then merge with the shadows, frightening this easily frightened child.

But also intriguing her even more than before.

“_They _ did something…” she supposed, focusing back on the file “_They _ must have done _ something _ to him…”

And then noticing another remarkable bit of information.

“Claimed to be a green skinned person…” she muttered, squinting again “Green… skinned… person…”

And _ then _ it hit her.

It hit her in the form of that undoubtedly alien statement.

_ “My bees. I lost them.” _

“…Oh my _STARS_!” she shrieked, with her hands on her cheeks “That green skinned person! The green skinned person I saw! It was one of _them_! Looking for the house! Looking for… _things_!”

Then she lowered her voice to whisper dramatically.

“_They’re back. _”

And then she raised it again.

“Auntie, I think the aliens are back!”

“It’s nine o’clock, go to bed!” replied Gaz, from another room.

Luna sighed.

“Guess I’ll have to take matters into my own hands, won’t I…” she said, putting all her stuff back into her backpack.


	4. Stupidly Wrong

It was another horrible night in the food aisle of a horrible corner store.

A green skinned, small boy wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses was reaching for a box of pop tarts.

A wide-eyed, neurotic little girl was grabbing a can of beans.

And now they were spotting each other and exchanging uneasy looks.

“AH! Hey!” greeted Speck, too loudly for comfort “You again!”

Luna blinked, and clutched the can against her chest for whatever reason.

“_You _again…” she replied “What’s up? Did you find your bees?”

“What do you m- _ Bees? _”

“Yeah, your bees… The ones you were looking for?”

“OH YES, _ those _! Yes, yes! I found them! Found them all!”

Then she blinked again.

“Well, I’m glad.”

“Yes!” continued Speck, smiling awkwardly “So am I!”

“Mmhm…” added Luna, then putting a hand on her chin “Anyway, did you just move here? Because I’ve _ never _ seen anyone _ like you _ before.”

Speck squinted.

“_Effectively. _”

“_Where _ are you from?”

Then he seemed to contort into some painful thinking pose.

“Ghhh… _ Ghhhhhhhhhhh _\- Did you find that flying moose thing?”

“Saucer.”

“SAUCER! Did you find it!?”

Luna blinked again, smiling awkwardly herself and then suddenly chuckling.

“…I _ might have _!”

Speck wasn’t sure of why she was doing such thing, but decided to chuckle as well.

“Is that so?” he inquired, between chuckles.

“Yeah!” replied Luna, also between chuckles “I think it’s closer than I thought!”

“_How _ close!?” continued Speck, _ still _ between chuckles.

“Like maybe _ right in front _ of me!” stated Luna, also _ still _ between chuckles.

And then they just kept chuckling and chuckling, until the chuckles escalated into nearly hysterical laughing.

Meanwhile, Gaz was waiting outside with a somewhat disturbed frown.

“Something’s wrong. _ Stupidly _ wrong.” she said.

Then the frown sharpened at the obnoxious sound of someone slurping a tuna smoothie next to her.

“Tiny master made a friend!”

And she wasn’t going to turn, but then she heard that obnoxiously familiar voice at had to do it.

And there he was.

Zim’s robot dog thing. Waiting with her. Slurping.

Looking back at her and smiling, with tuna gushing from his open mouth.

Gaz’s frown sharpened even more.


	5. Waffles

The breakfast was forming a smile.

A disgustingly, tauntingly broad smile of bacon and eggs.

Zim made a strange noise and warily poked it with his fork. Some things would never change.

“So, anyway…” continued this overjoyed, ginger man while putting a plate of waffles on the table “Melvin was there, right? And he said, no way! And I said, I know, right?”

“Mmhm.” mumbled Zim, even though he was barely paying attention.

“We’ve been talking so much about you!” continued the man, putting another plate of waffles on the table “Well, _I _have, but… I’m sure the others could tell skool just wasn’t the same without you.”

“Really?” replied Zim, kind of automatically.

And still fiddling with his food, mangling its smile, making it even more horrific.

Now it definitely wouldn’t enter his mouth.

“Yeah!” beamed the man, putting another plate of waffles on the table “I bet it’d make them _ so _ happy to see you again, just the other day we were thinking about throwing a reunion party!”

“…_Really? _” repeated Zim, squinting.

“So you came back just in time!” laughed the man, putting another plate of waffles on the table.

Zim grimaced.

“_Keef…_” he said “Did I not make myself clear enough when I said how much I _ despise _ this _ bee sludge _?”

“I know life’s been hard for you, what with being homeless and having to take care of li’l Speck, all by yourself!” continued Keef, putting another plate of waffles on the table “But don’t worry, okay? It’ll be alright, you can stay here _forever _ if you have to-”

“Did I _NOT _ !?” exploded Zim, violently pushing this plate out of his line of vision “Make myself _ CLEAR ENOUGH_!?”

Keef then stopped in his tracks, blinking into a bemused expression.

And then laughed again.

“Oh no, these are for GIR!” he said, to then briefly look around “I haven’t seen him in a while though, do you know where he is?”

Zim made a rather annoyed noise at how positively annoying his ‘bestest friend’ still was, and scratched a temple with his fork.

“Guarding Speck, I think.” he replied.

Keef smiled, in a still annoying manner.

“What a good boy…” he said, and then realized “I haven’t seen Speck either though… Where’d he go?”

Zim kept scratching, pondering.

It was evident that Keef had mistaken the lowly Speck for his own personal young. Awful but convenient, he supposed, since he could still remember all that larval behavior he had studied and emulated so thoroughly.

“To skool.” he replied.

“_Skool? _” inquired Keef, blinking into another bemused expression “But it’s Sunday!”

“_YOU’RE LYING! _ ” shouted Zim, by apparent reflex, to then quickly simmer down “I know. I meant _ Sunday skool _.”

“Ooooohhh…” nodded Keef, putting another plate of waffles on the table.

And that statement was obviously false.

Speck was actually roaming around the city with an unhealthily large order of sixty-four MacMeaties sundaes and GIR in tow.

“Alright, GIR, we’re almost there…” he said, struggling to drag the naturally heavy takeout bag towards a specific pocket park in the middle of the apartment behemoths “My plan is officially coming together… Master Zim will be so pleased!”

“Peanut butter!” screeched GIR, since every single one of these sundaes was indeed peanut butter flavored.

And he couldn’t wait to have them.

“Now, I know what you must be wondering.” continued Speck, upon finally making it to that very specific patch of dirt and catching his breath “How will these Earth… _ sloppies _ take us to the underground base?”

GIR had just attempted to scoot over and take at least one sundae from the bag, but ended up tripping and faceplanting instead.

Speck stared as he promptly raised his head to look at him, and smile.

“It smells like puppy dookie.” he said, after seemingly getting a whiff of the dirt.

Speck stared for another second, and then confusedly smiled back.

“It _ sure _ does.” he replied, to then continue “But seriously, _ how _ will they? Well, that’s simple. Have you noticed these _ spooning devices _ that come with the sloppies?”

And then he tapped the little plastic spoon that was indeed attached to this one sundae GIR had just managed to grab.

“They’re perfect for digging! We can dig an underground tunnel and get to the underground base!” he concluded, as the robot ravenously stuffed his face “Granted, they’re not sufficiently advanced and might break after a few scoops, BUT! That’s why we have acquired _ so many_. I am _ prepared _.”

“You can do it!” cheered GIR, performing some sort of euphoric arm flailing and finishing the sundae by gulping down the emptied cup.

“Yes, I can! And I _ will_!” grinned Speck, picking up the first discarded spoon to commence the digging “We _ will _ get Master Zim back on task!”

And GIR could only keep cheering, cheering at the prospect of Zim returning to his old, glorious self and thus letting him watch the Scary Monkey Show again.

Even when it started getting dark, even after fifty broken spoons and a still very shallow hole, he kept cheering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An additional 'chapter' I felt like writing! Hope it's nice.
> 
> I'm honestly getting terribly attached to this verse and yearning to write more, it's taking me over like a nostalgia fueled parasite, so I guess if you'd like to see more of this content, this is your chance.
> 
> I know this vague introduction or something must be raising a lot of questions that I could gladly answer via more drabbles so yeah! You can leave a comment with a question or just anything concerning this horrible timeline you'd like me to write about, and I'll most likely write it and post it! Just figured I should make things a little interactive since there's 12 kudos so a good bunch of people must have enjoyed this. Yes, I see you all and I appreciate you all.
> 
> Thank you! See you soon maybe!


	6. They're All Gonna Laugh At You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ANYWAY. Still accepting drabble suggestions, though I think I know what could happen after this.

The sky was red.

The streets, an ashen grey.

Charred. Eroded. Devoid of all human life.

Only the looming figures of those mechanical monsters remained.

Those giant robots, and tanks, and fleets…

Searching. Hunting. Eradicating everything in their path.

Making a lot of crushing and exploding noises, which signalled a dreaded but expected approach.

And boy, were they loud.

Gaz frowned, in clear annoyance, and went towards one of the boarded up windows to take a peek.

“They’re getting closer.” she said.

Looking like she was talking to herself for a second, but actually talking to her little niece behind her. She wasn’t _ that _ crazy yet, she didn’t think so.

“Wh- _ Already!? _” shrilled little Luna, biting on a nail “But I was about to make dinner!”

Dinner being microwaved survival brand beans.

“There’s no time.” replied Gaz, now going towards a cabinet to retrieve something “We’ll have to look for a new shelter.”

Luna quivered.

“We’re leaving again?” she inquired, to then get violently startled by sudden strikes against several windows and doors.

The hellish machines were already trying to knock the building down, already on their trail.

Gaz cocked a futuristic shotgun, and nodded.

“_Now._”

Luna seemed to hesitate, to consider the easier option of simply bursting into tears and then dying, but it didn’t last much.

Auntie had no one else. She couldn’t just abandon her, especially after making it this far.

So she sniffed into a more determined expression, and nodded back while grabbing her cracked bat.

Destroyed boards, shattered windows and an incoming assault followed.

Aunt and niece soon found themselves fighting these ruthless machines with the expertise of at least four failed attempts of beating this ruthless level.

“Uuuhh… Auntie?” pondered Luna, as she bashed some poor robot’s wiring in “I’ve been thinking… I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like playing with you! But I was just wondering… Shouldn’t we be doing something about the _ real _ alien?”

Gaz was disabling a tank with just a couple of laser shots, making it catch fire.

“No.” she replied, as it then exploded rather awesomely “We shouldn’t.”

“But what if…” continued Luna, busting another robot’s defenses “What if it’s an invader too? What if it wants to, like… finish the job or something?”

Gaz blinked, glanced at her… 

…and then paused the game.

Surprisingly.

“There _ was _ something bothering you.” she said “You _ shouldn’t _ lie to me.”

Luna could quickly identify both the underlying threat and the chills crawling up her spine.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I just didn’t want you to w- _ Hold on though! _ ” she suddenly realized, glancing back at her aunt “Are you… _ not _ freaking out over having an _ alien _ around?”

Gaz shrugged.

“I know _ those_, the green ones. They’re stupid.” she stated.

Luna tilted her head.

“How stupid?”

“_Very. _ So if that one _ is _ another invader, he’s _ bad _ at it. Just leave it be.”

Then she smiled, somewhat playfully.

“Do you think he’d let me ask him stuff and take pictures for my skool project then? I mean, if he’s _ that _ stupid-”

“_Just leave it be._” reiterated Gaz, once again in that threatening manner.

“Yes, auntie.” muttered Luna, looking down.

One minute of silence passed.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Gaz reached out to unpause the game and… 

“But it’d be _ so cool_!” squeaked Luna, making her sigh wearily with a hand on a temple.

It wasn’t her fault.

It wasn’t her fault, really.

She was just a child. 

A bug-eyed child who couldn’t stand the boredom of a meaningless life. Of course _ this _would excite her. Help her distract herself, delude herself.

Whatever.

“…I’m sorry…”

Gaz raised both eyebrows slightly. Luna was once again staring at the floor.

“I won’t do anything weird, I promise.” she continued “I’ll be good.”

Another minute of silence passed and, upon assuming there was nothing left to say on the matter, Gaz reached out to unpause-

“Guess who’s _ actually _ here!” interrupted the inopportune and therefore irritating voice of her brother, as his actual organic self did indeed appear.


	7. The Face of a Broken Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not stopping, guys. I'm officially infected.
> 
> Also this wasn't supposed to be so angsty but what ya gonna do.
> 
> Still accepting suggestions for upcoming drabbles!

“What are you playing? Is it a new game?” asked Dib, casually sitting on the couch.

Which was technically okay since it was _ his _ couch, in _ his _house, but still somewhat irritating.

Maybe it was the smile.

“_What _ are _ you _ doing here.” countered Gaz, resignedly putting her controller down.

“Yeah, weren’t you busy with the caffeinated blood thing?” added Luna.

Then the smile seemed to falter a bit.

Two or three uncomfortable minutes of silence followed.

“_Well! _” twitched Dib, crossing his arms in the most confident manner he could manage “It’s been harder than we thought, so we decided to put it on hold.”

“_Whaaaaaaat!? _ ” squeaked Luna, owly-eyed “But you and grandpa _ never _ put _ anything _ on hold! It must be-”

“The end of the world?” chuckled Dib, a little painfully, to then place a hand on his daughter’s shoulder as Gaz mumbled a ‘Finally’ in the background “I know, I know… It’s been like a month, right?”

“I think so.” replied Luna, rather calmly and unaffectedly.

Already getting used to it, accepting it as the norm.

The very reason Dib was there, patting her shoulder. Worriedly.

“What about the other experiments though?” she continued “Weren’t there like _ tons _ of other stuff you had to work on?”

Dib shook his ugly head.

“Not anymore, we’re putting those on hold too. We’re putting _ everything _ on hold.” he assured, as Gaz raised a vigilant eyebrow in the background “Grandpa’s gonna stay in the labs anyway, because they’ll ‘fall into chaos’ if he doesn’t… but I’ll stay _ here_. With _ you_.”

Luna could only stare.

Stare and wonder why and how her father would think that was a good idea, considering his very important position as the Membrane Empire’s next in line.

“Dad…” she fumbled, skittishly clasping her hands together “Dad, you don’t really have-”

“_Shtshtshtsht! _ ” interrupted Dib, now grabbing both of her shoulders and looking her in the widened eye “Work _ isn’t _ everything, Luna! It’s not even like I’m quitting forever, it’s just a little break! I’ll be okay, _ you’ll _ be okay, we all will be _ OKAY_!”

Luna’s concerned expression became even more visible, and even more neurotic.

Gaz seemed to make a thoughtful noise, and then got up.

“If you say so.” she said, then nonchalantly reaching into a jacket pocket and pulling out some money “Let’s celebrate. Luna, go to the store and get some Poop.”

Luna got up herself with a puzzled blink, yet immediately complied.

“Yes, auntie.” she replied, taking the money and then walking out.

She knew better than questioning in this case.

Even if the mere _ concept _ of her aunt _ celebrating _ her father’s presence, the same presence she utterly and undeniably _ couldn’t stand_, didn’t make any sense.

There had to be an ulterior motive, she supposed.

And so did Dib, as he watched her leave and then turned to his sister, his smile beginning to actually _ disappear_.

Yes. It could actually happen.

“Celebrate, huh?” he inquired, with obvious disbelief, as Gaz quietly sat back down.

“A month, huh.” she countered.

Dib slowly looked away.

“You’d know.” he replied “You’ve been watching over her when I- Did I ever thank you for that?”

“You’re worried about those things she said.” stated Gaz.

Making him blink somewhat alarmedly, and then force himself to look back at her.

“About _ aliens_.” she added.

Dib let out a nervous chuckle, and once again evaded her dangerous glance. 

“Well _ yes _ ! Why _ wouldn’t _ I be?” he said, rubbing his nape “I thought it was just some weird game, like the cursed sausages, but…”

“She’s taking it too seriously.” guessed his sister.

“_Isn’t she!? _ ” exclaimed Dib, now with a hand on his forehead “It’s getting out of control, Gaz! Her line between games and reality is getting all blurry and it’s all _ MY FAULT_!”

Gaz seemed to ponder for a moment, and then nodded in agreement. Yes, it was.

“For not being around, for putting her aside and making reality _ so bad _ she’d rather think that _ stupid _ stuff is real!” continued Dib, apparently distraught yet letting out another _ chuckle _ afterwards “It’s just so, so, so _ stupid_…!”

Then he suddenly stopped, as Gaz had just brought a glass of water.

“Take it.” she said, holding it out.

Dib sighed tiredly, and retrieved what appeared to be a blister pack from a trenchcoat pocket.

“My poor little _ girl child_…” he wept, one swallowed pill later.

“You weren’t ready for it.” stated Gaz.

Just like he hadn’t been ready for _ anything _ throughout the past years, starting with the rehabilitation.

But it was fine, because he could easily pretend he was. As long as he kept satisfying everybody’s expectations, as long as he kept being _ finally _ praised for _ something_… 

He could pretend for the rest of his life.

“So it was just _ that _ then.” said Gaz, after who knew how many minutes of silence.

“Hmm?”

“Why you came running.” she clarified “You were just worried about her and her weird games, not panicking because you actually believed-”

“_Of course not! _ ” laughed Dib “There _ can’t _ be any aliens among us, it’s just _ not scientifically possible!_”


	8. It's Time to Stop

“I’m home!” chirped Keef.

It was already nighttime again, and his best friend’s bacon and eggs were still resting on the kitchen table, along with the countless waffles.

His best friend, however, was back on the depressive couch, watching the depressive late Sunday broadcast.

Slouching on a barbecue sauce packet to miserably dip a handful of nachos.

Much to Keef’s dismay, as expressed by the rare, concerned frown he was now showing while walking in.

“Zim…”

This wasn’t working. Leaving him to his own alien looking devices definitely _ hadn’t _ been a good idea. 

There had to be a more direct intervention.

“Zim!” repeated the anguished man, now standing in front of the television “I can’t take it anymore, this has to stop!”

Zim growled and, even while still stuck in that lethargic state, managed to throw some nachos at his face.

“Go away, sludge beast.” he hissed, burying himself deeper into the couch “Leave this place, and _ never return_.”

Keef’s frown remained, for perhaps a minute.

Then he laughed again.

“I can’t do that, it’s _ my _ place!” he said, getting another growl from Zim as he promptly sat next to him “Come on, let’s talk this out.”

“I _ DON’T _ WANT TO!” snapped the perfectly normal green man, in a perfectly normal fashion “Don’t you understand, you stupid, _ stupid _ human!? _No_, you _don’t_, because you’re _ still _ as stupid as you were back then!”

“Aw, buddy…” smiled Keef, leaning closer “You haven’t changed much either! _Heck_, you don’t even look like you _ aged _at all! How do you do it?”

“_DON’T TOUCH ME! _ ” hollered Zim, pushing him away “I’m _ SICK _OF YOU! You and the rest of this _ worthless __monkey smelling_ planet that still _DARES TO EXIST_! And _WHY_do you think that is…!?”

Keef blinked and frowned again, but this time in confusion.

“Uuuh…”

“That's _RIGHT_! You’re too stupid to think, so this pointless discussion is _ OVER_!” screeched Zim, then proceeding to sulk “Stupid… stupid Earth, stupid humans… _ stupid mission_…”

Keef looked at him for a perhaps contemplative moment, and then at the television screen.

_ “…and that’s how you safely remove ripe organs from an unsuspecting pig. You just have to be gentle and very quiet.” _ instructed Dib, putting said organs into a jar as the pig in question lay on the sterile floor, staring at the ceiling _ “These 99% human lungs are now ready for delivery!” _

_ “We have successfully replicated human organs inside this pig with just a little bit of human cells and SCIENCE!” _ added a fancy woman with a fancy British accent, showing off some more organ jars from earlier procedures _ “It seems to me that organ farms can now become a dream come true, Professor Dib!” _

_ “Hopefully, Professor Kat! Thanks again for all your help!” _replied Dib, and then they neatly posed together for the press pictures, and the crowd went wild.

Keef frowned again, but this time with determination.

“I know what to do…”

“No, you don’t.” grumbled Zim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're forcing me to ride the pig as I write this.


End file.
